'Walking Dead' fans get a chance to be part of the story

Published 5:40 pm, Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Play the part of a zombie or a survivor when The Walking Dead Escape obstacle course sets down in Hartford, Conn., on June 28, 2014. Volunteers also are needed to keep the action moving.

Play the part of a zombie or a survivor when The Walking Dead Escape obstacle course sets down in Hartford, Conn., on June 28, 2014. Volunteers also are needed to keep the action moving.

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Can you escape the hordes of walking dead? You better, if you plan to make it to the evacuation zone. You can test your skills as a survivor by signing up to paticipate in the Walking Dead Escape experience that will be in Hartford, Conn., on June 28, 2014. less

Can you escape the hordes of walking dead? You better, if you plan to make it to the evacuation zone. You can test your skills as a survivor by signing up to paticipate in the Walking Dead Escape experience ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

'Walking Dead' fans get a chance to be part of the story

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If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be in a zombie apocalypse, then here's your chance. Come Saturday night, June 28, Hartford will be crawling with them.

The Walking Dead Escape, an interactive obstacle course, will be beckoning weekend zombies and survivors alike to make their way through the evacuation zone, which will be set up at Hartford's Xfinity Theatre, one of many venues where this national tour will make a stop this year.

"We are excited to be in Hartford," said David Isaacs, president of Skybound EXP, the company that is bringing the fun to life. The event is based on the works of Robert Kirkman, creator of "The Walking Dead" comic book series that inspired the popular television show of the same name, for which Kirkman is creator and executive producer.

Participants have the option to sign up as a "survivor," who must bypass the dangers and obstacles, including becoming infected on the mile-and-a-half route to the decontamination zone. And there are the "walkers," who may get a chance to do a bit of the "infecting." Spectators also are welcome to wander the course, but Isaacs said the experience is really meant to be enjoyed firsthand.

"It's not meant to be a race," Isaacs said, but added that it is easy to want to move quickly, considering you may find yourself facing down a member of the walking dead.

More Information

XFINITY Theatre, 61 Savitt Way, Hartford. Saturday, June 28, 6 p.m.- midnight. (Those with tickets for the cancelled June 7 show will be honored.) VIP $150, $95 ($85 with military ID) walker; $75 ($65 with military ID) survivor; and $20 ($10 with military ID) spectator. Register at www.thewalkingdeadescape.com or www.tickets.com. 800-352-0212, web@skybound.com.

"People know it is not real," he said, "but there are moments when the heart rate goes up and the adrenaline starts going and that really changes the nature of the experience. It goes from the audience passively consuming the story to actively participating. And they have to make decisions quickly."

Walkers are transformed earlier in the day by professional makeup artists, who do the makeup on the television show. Walkers also get training prior to being released onto the course. After all, they need to look the part while hanging out along Herd Highway or Hospital Hell. The walkers also will have created a bit of an infestation at the penitentiary, and they will have slipped past the military into the evacuation zone by the time the event gets underway.

"We really have a lot of fun with it," said Isaacs, who has seen The Walking Dead Escape grow from a few locations last year, including the USS Intrepid, to about a dozen this year. "It's really about what would you do in this scenario -- who do you trust, what decisions will you make in this topsy-turvy world."

The series has long drawn fans who have become deeply enmeshed in the story, Isaacs said.

"They tend to project themselves into this post-apocalyptic scenario and with this live event we can place them in this scenario," he said.

The evening is broken down into waves with about 150 to 200 people heading out on the course every 15 minutes. Every participant will have their own experience, but as for Isaacs, he said if he were doing the course, he'd probably sign up for one of the earlier slots.